It’s Wednesday morning and we have heard from three clients this week alone who have been victims of a W-2 Phishing Scam. Unfortunately, in these situations, here at Helios, we were contacted to help with the aftermath. We would much prefer to be a part of the proactive solution. Here is more information about this particular scam and what you can do to protect yourself and your company.

We are hearing about changes to the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, which has been protecting patient and employee’s health information since it was passed in 1996. Mostly these changes are affecting health-related organizations. Now the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is moving forward in modifying the regulations to allow certain covered entities to disclose to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) the identities of those individuals who, due to specific mental health reasons are prohibited by Federal law from having a firearm.

Lately, it seems I cannot escape the fact that 2016 is a presidential election year—even on sites like LinkedIn. I view LinkedIn as a business site for professional conversations and to share and read information which will improve one’s career. When I am in a professional setting or “polite company,” I believe that discussion about things like religious beliefs, political beliefs, money and sex are topics to be avoided. I apply this philosophy to professional sites like LinkedIn. If I would not say it to a colleague, I would not post it on LinkedIn. Yet lately, I continue to be surprised by the pictures of politicians accompanied by opinions and comments on LinkedIn. I don’t log into LinkedIn to view others’ political views (or religious views for that matter).

I often get asked by clients, prospects, and others in our community what is keeping us busy these days. Recently, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the pending regulation changes are a very hot topic. Clients are calling us frequently concerned about the pending FLSA regulations and what that means for their organizations.

I always get excited once February comes to a close and March rears its lovely face. I begin to notice the abundance of daylight, talk of spring break plans, and even look forward to daylight savings time (despite that one sweet hour of sleep disappearance).

Avoid the Cost of Non-Compliance & Mitigate Your Risk It's likely that you are already well aware of a variety of state employment law regulations, but did you know that if you receive funding from the US federal government, it places additional requirements (and corresponding penalties for non-compliance) on your company? Luckily, there are steps you can take to mitigate your risk and ensure compliance with federal contracts.